Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

51 – Prime ribs, made by cutting ribs and meat together. The rib, cooked with its bone, crisped beautifully.

Slicing! Slicing!

I butchered the bull and wild boar I had hunted in an instant.

Butchering meat wasn’t difficult for me.

The knife had been nearly a daily companion, and butchering was a task I had periodically done in my life as a cook. Perhaps it could be said that the length of the bones revealed something.

Should I say that the flesh is visible?

Sometimes driven by past-life knowledge, sometimes moved instinctively, I separated bone from flesh.

And as I did, I felt it.

“Definitely different.”

The texture and color of the meat when I hunted were distinct from when others did.

Whether it was Veronia’s hunted bull or Andrea’s wild boar, they exhibited a hue different from the colors I observed after hunting and butchering.

It was a bit more reddish, perhaps.

Contemplating the meat, I sharpened the carving knife.

Among the ribs, the cut of meat with the least movement, the marbling on the prime rib, was the most pronounced.

A special cut not yielding a large quantity at once, it was a pricey delicacy.

With a mana-infused blade, I sliced through the prime rib and the connected flesh.

I cut the ribs, meat, and bones long, examining the cross-section.

“…”

Undoubtedly, it exuded a much redder energy than when I hunted.

How Veronia had hunted this bull was evident at a glance.

I classified the long-cut prime ribs separately.

With this, I planned to make Galbigui, a dish favored in my past life in Korea.

“But before that.”

I should also tear into the pig ribs that Andrea hunted.

Pigs are commonly referred to as loin ribs or side ribs, and I separated and cut them apart.

Thud!

Seeing Veronia’s nostrils flare as she looked at the separated prime rib, she let out a snort and smiled.

It was a triumphant smile.

No wonder, considering the enormous size difference between the two sets of ribs.

No matter how large the wild boar might be, it couldn’t compare to the robust prime rib of the bull.

Not everything is good just because it’s big, I think.

The first noticeable difference was the size, and there was no way to ignore it.

“I’ll season it lightly with just salt and grill it right away.”

After making incisions in the flesh attached to the rib bone with a knife, I lightly sprinkled salt on the meat and rubbed it in.

Salt seeped through the knife incisions.

Baronia’s ribs, hunted by the slightly reddish Veronia, as opposed to Andrea’s ribs, hunted by the deep crimson-colored Andrea.

“My meat, shining like a jewel, is undoubtedly the best meat! Hahaha!”

Baronia shouted confidently with a voice full of pride.

“….”

On the other hand, Andrea remained silent, merely observing.

“Let’s start with a charcoal grill.”

While I prepared and shaped the meat, Andrea placed the two pieces on the charcoal grill she had already prepared.

Placing the meat on the charcoal grill.

Sizzle!

The meat sizzled as it cooked in the heat of the glowing grill and charcoal.

Smoke rose from the charcoal as the two pieces of meat began to cook.

The bubbling oil boiled vigorously.

I watched as the red meat gradually turned a deep brown.

Inside the bones, the meat cooked, and blood oozed out, creating froth.

I flipped the meat around to ensure it was seared from as many directions as possible.

The scent of charcoal stimulated the nose.

I sprinkled oil over the burning charcoal.

Swoosh!

The flames, touched by the oil, leaped high, searing the surface of the meat.

“Wow!”

Veronia, who saw this scene for the first time, exclaimed in admiration.

On the other hand, Andrea, seeming anxious, simply watched silently, biting her lips.

It was a reaction that conveyed the current state of the two.

I quietly smelled the air.

The faint odor, lingering through the scent of charcoal, pricked my nose.

If the blood of the animals is not completely removed before butchering, it leaves a distinctive gamey smell.

They must be sensing it too.

There’s no way the two, with their sensitive noses, are unaware.

Just.

“They probably both think it’s not theirs.”

After finishing the initial grilling, I placed a portable flare range and a broad meat grill on the brazier.

Sizzle!

I cut and separated the meat attached to the ribs with a kitchen knife.

Then, following the shape of the slit made with the knife, I cut the meat that had been elongated like a ribbon with scissors.

Chop! Chop! Chop!

The well-sharpened scissors made a crisp sound as they cut through the meat.

It has a good feel in the hands.

The remaining bones, along with the attached shells, were now placed separately on the gently burning charcoal to cook further.

Sizzle.

“Wild ribs, ready.”

Grilling the meat on the grill, I said to today’s hunters,

“The left side is Veronia’s Touro rib, and the right side is Andrea’s Wild Fog rib. I recommend starting with the Wild Fog; it’s almost fully cooked during the initial grilling process because it’s thin.”

At my words, their gaze turned to the ribs, now beautifully grilled.

Only the salt-seasoned rib, sizzling with oil, was waiting to be picked up with chopsticks.

“Great! Since the chef said so, it must be alright!”

Veronia sliced a piece of the pork and tasted it first.

“Hmm… It’s good. A truly exemplary taste!”

Nodding, she savored the flavor of the pork.

“For wild boar, it’s surprisingly mild! The one I hunted didn’t have this kind of taste, I think.”

“…”

Andrea also silently took a bite of the meat.

Normally, she would have stuffed her mouth with meat until her cheeks bulged, but now she seemed to be chewing on a single piece with a reserved demeanor.

“It’s delicious. The chef’s cooking skills are truly exceptional.”

She said with a hint of fatigue.

Seems like she has completely lost her energy.

They were handed a mixture of sesame oil and salted dipping sauce along with ssamjang.

“Eat this with the meat.”

Veronia extended the ssamjang and oil-based sauce toward them.

“Oh? What’s this?”

While Veronia asked me about it, Andrea immediately dipped her meat into the oil-based sauce.

“It’s a meat sauce. You’ll know once you taste it.”

“It seems quite tasty if the pig elf likes it!”

“I’m not a pig elf!”

As the food went in, Andrea, who seemed to have regained some energy, made an exclamation of surprise.

“Wow! This is quite a delicacy!”

Veronia’s face lit up as she tasted the meat dipped in ssamjang.

“It’s delicious! What kind of sauce is this? I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty it is!”

The two women’s chopstick and fork movements gradually accelerated.

Perhaps they had burned a lot of calories while hunting, so it was only natural.

When they had eaten about half of the grilled Wild Fog ribs, I offered them the Taurus ribs.

Veronia salivated at the sight of the Taurus meat, which had a darker brown color than the Fog meat.

“Here, these are the Taurus ribs that Veronia caught this time. Try them. The first bite without any sauce.”

Upon hearing that, Veronia and Andrea almost simultaneously picked up the meat and ate it.

And then.

“…….”

“…….”

The two women grimaced.

“T-Tough….”

“Eugh, it’s tasteless.”

They chewed on the tough meat like gum.

Even though it was supposed to be the most tender flower ribs among the ribs.

I could tell even without eating it.

What condition Veronia’s meat was in.

“It’s tasteless? This is how Taurus meat is meant to be eaten! Tearing into tough meat! That is the symbol of a warrior!”

Upon Veronia’s words, Andrea sighed.

A smile had appeared on her lips that had forcibly swallowed the rubber-like meat.

“You really don’t know anything about hunting. Little wolf.”

“What?”

“Whether it’s the symbol of a warrior or whatever, ultimately, hunting powerful monsters is for the sake of enjoying their byproducts, for the sake of eating good meat, right?”

“Of course! But Taurus meat is originally…”

“Boss, isn’t this kid clueless?”

Andrea’s eyes turned towards me.

“Lucas! I believe you’d know! True warrior cuisine is not only about simple taste but also about the will of the warrior eating it!”

“I agree with Andrea’s words. Hunting ultimately is about getting delicious, edible food. Regular people can never taste this kind of meat.”

Veronia protruded her lips as if disappointed with my words.

“Are you lying to boost the morale of your subordinates?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Then why lie? Surely you know that bullfight meat is naturally tough!”

“There’s nothing ‘natural’ about it.”

“What?”

I headed towards the freezer.

There should be a piece left.

The frozen sirloin of the bull, sealed and frozen to be saved for later consumption.

Frozen meat can last a long time without spoiling easily, but unfortunately, reproducing the exact taste of the original was not an easy task.

I took out the frozen sirloin and compared it to Veronia’s sirloin.

“How is it? Different, right?”

“…Wh-why?”

Due to being in the freezer for a long time, it didn’t have the original crimson color, but the perfect marbling of fat and meat was still present.

“This is bull meat.”

On the other hand, Veronia’s sirloin from the hunt had no trace of fat, and its color was extremely vibrant red.

As if blood vessels had burst inside the muscle.

“Bulls burn their fat every time they fight. Afterwards, in extreme excitement, their blood vessels burst all over. It becomes tough, and the smell of blood, or the gamy odor of the meat, makes it difficult to eat.”

“…”

I opened the seal and placed the frozen bull sirloin on a freshly cleaned grill.

Sizzle!

I knew that grilling without thawing would compromise the taste, but Veronia seemed too impatient to wait any longer.

I slowly cooked the frozen sirloin.

To acclimate to Medium Well, the temperature was adjusted.

As Maillard reactions occurred on the surface of the meat, a pleasant aroma filled the air.

There was no trace of the usual meaty odor, nor the slightest hint of gaminess.

“This, this is….”

Veronia’s expression changed as she caught the scent.

“Here, take it.”

I extended a well-cooked sirloin towards her.

With trembling hands, she pierced the fork and brought the meat to her mouth.

“It melts in the mouth….”

She exclaimed, looking at me and the meat.

“How is it? Do you understand now?”

“Wha- what did you do? How did you make this tough beef so tender? Is this possibly not Taurus meat?”

As Veronia tried to deny, I shrugged my shoulders and spoke.

“You cornered the bull into a corner where it couldn’t escape to catch it, right?”

“How did you know?”

“The lingering traces of a prolonged fight can be felt in the flesh. When a stressed bull is pushed to its limit and charges at you, you use that force to grab its horns and strike it repeatedly. After piercing the skin with fists and daggers, you penetrated its heart and killed it, right?”

“Are you a ghost? How do you know without even seeing…?”

It was the correct answer.

Seeing her expression change, it seemed like I hit the mark.

“Because the boss is a genius in hunting.”

Veronia shivered at Andrea’s words.

It wasn’t a tremor from fear.

Admiration? Joy?

I’m not sure, but her pupils widened as she fixed her gaze on me.

“Andrea discovered the Wild Fog and finished it off before it could recognize you, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. My forte is blending into nature, silencing my presence. It’s about stepping in and finishing before the opponent even realizes. I might not know bullfighting, but with a wild fog opponent, it’s possible.”

Andrea, now confident, spoke with an elevated nose.

Wild fog, unlike bulls meant for eating, needed to be caught quickly for a different reason.

When the creature gets tense, its unique pheromones rise within its body like gas, and if the fight drags on, the smell of the meat becomes extremely pungent.

Andrea was aware of this too.

Certainly, she was a skilled hunter.

“In the end, hunting is not a challenge; it’s a matter of survival. When I consider that, I believe Andrea’s wild fog achieved that purpose more than your bullfight, Veronia.”

“…I admit it. I agree on that point as well.”

Veronia, with a wry smile, nodded her head.

“The official result is a one-on-one, but practically, assuming this bull is an inedible trophy, Andrea wins.”

Surprisingly, Veronia’s face calmed down.

Recognition came faster than expected.

“I approached this bet from the perspective of a fighter. I apologize for belittling you. You were an outstanding hunter, Andrea. An elf.”

Veronia extended her hand towards her.

“You were great too. If it wasn’t hunting but a duel, I wouldn’t have won.”

Andrea reached out and shook her hand.

It was a harmony beyond races.

“Now, we should cancel it, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“The words about me being a chubby elf worth keeping around, cancel that.”

“Were you bothered by it?”

“…Cancel it.”

“Consider it canceled.”

Veronia looked at Andrea’s belly closely and opened her mouth.

“Even if you’ve gained a bit of weight, you’re still an excellent elf hunter.”

“Hey! You! I told you to cancel it!”

“But isn’t that true? Even now, this belly fat…”

“You little brat!”

“If you want to fight, go out and fight. Don’t break anything in the store.”

I chased them out of the store.

Then I saw the rack of wild pork ribs.

Flesh thickly attached to the bone, like an axe.

The part that was called “don mahawk” in my previous life in Korea was still intact.

“Should I grill and eat some axe after a long time?”

While the don mahawk was being grilled, I ate the wild pork ribs left behind by the women who went out to fight.

“Is it only for the boss to eat?”

“How outrageous!”

Suddenly, the two women came back to the store.

“They came in smelling the meat grilling.”

I said to the two women who were trying to sit at the table.

“Wash your hands and face before eating. Should I let you eat with dusty clothes?”

Snap.

I placed a bowl of rice on the seats where the women had returned after washing their hands and faces.

I cut and ate the properly grilled wild don mahawk.

“It’s delicious.”

I could taste the strong flavor of the wildness.

***

Camilla, accompanied by the chief magician and the official in charge, took the teleporter to Lilian, a major city in the southern part of the empire connected to the capital.

“What? Veronica is not here?”

Camilla frowned at the words of the district manager who had been in charge of the subsequent investment in Lilian, feeling annoyed by the unpleasant dizziness.

“Where did she go?”

“Well, we can’t figure that out either…”

“Sigh, why wouldn’t you know? As the top star of this arena! Can’t Lilian’s management system even properly control their purse strings?”

Golden Wagon’s Lilian branch manager and Lilian’s market manager were in a bind at her words.

No matter how big a city’s market manager was, there was no courage to speak up in front of Golden Wagon’s top shareholder.

“I apologize. Her disappearing like this is not uncommon.”

“We’ll find her as soon as possible.”

“Fine. Anyway, Lilian just passed by. Keep searching until she shows up again a week after the on-site observation is done.”

“Oh, understood.”

She lightly warned the market manager and, followed by the wizard and caretaker who had come along, mounted the horse.

After all, this place was not her main destination.

Dain, and the reason for hastily installing a personal teleport here instead of freight teleportation.

It was to go to the small territory further south than this place, the Briton Territory.

“Uh, but where are you going?”

“Do I have to tell the market manager about my schedule one by one?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Do it well on your own. After all, a lot of money is at stake in this arena.”

“Yes! Lady Camilla!”

She left the city on horseback with her companions.

Camilla’s red hair fluttered in the wind.